How does religion inspire good people to do evil things?

Question

"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion."

- Steven Weinberg, Nobel Laureate in physics

Answer 1

Steven is a wise man.

It's true.

It's partially because Religion governs the ideology of a population. 'Good' and 'Bad' are not tangible, they are not real things. In order for something to be good, it has to be said that it is good. For it to be bad, it must be said it is bad.

Someone that is 'Good' would be more naturally good in the eyes of other people under our definition of Good, but this person could be influenced easily by religion, told that something else is good.

For example, suicide bombers in the middle east feel what they are doing is good because of their religion telling them it is so and controlling their ideology. Religion penetrates deep into the phyche and begins to dictate your thoughts, your life and inevitably your actions, good or bad.

Everything you believe and think is a result of direct contact with other sources of information. If Religion is your contact, then it is where you begin to define reality and your concept of it, morals and beliefs. And then if this religion governs a population, it spreads like a virus, possibly good, possibly bad. As it begins to take over peoples way of thinking, it then through person to person information contact, dominates the ideology of a society and how it functions.

Answer 2

Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’

We could play quotes all day - because Steven W is great at physics, it doesn't make me look to him to make decisions on spiritual matters.

Answer 3

People do bad things in the name of religion, why, because they think they're always right. They think that no one else can be right. They do bad things, and they think that what they're doing is for the "good of the people." Also, some people believe that they can do whatever they want as long as they repent.

Answer 4

Religious terrorism. Holy wars. Religiously-motivated homophobia and intolerance. Nothing will motivate an otherwise good person to do bad things as strongly as religion.

Answer 5

Religion is manufactured by, who else - man.

Not too far of a leap from that - is evil, in this fallen world we live in.

A relationship is what we need to seek with God (not religion).
Jesus is the lover of your soul, think about it, I dare you.

Answer 6

I wouldn't blame it on religion itself. People in general want what they can't have, or what they aren't "supposed" to do. I think that is why people in religion tend to to evil things.....because it is human nature to do the opposite.

Answer 7

you arent neccessarily a bad person if you do bad things and you arent neccessarily a good person if you do good things. the defining line is if you repent for the bad things you do. good people have remorse for what they have done and know it was wrong and confess that to God and attempt to never do it again. a bad person is someone who does not repent and doesnt even care about trying to do the right thing.

Answer 8

I believe the people involved in the Columbine shootings were not doing it out of "religion".

Answer 9

Satan inspires people to do evil things. He is very real and knows he is going down and wants to take as many souls as he can with him.

Answer 10

It takes religion, because satan doesn't WANT religious people to do good things, so he lies, and deceives his way into their thinking, until he convinces them to DO something bad.